Iran asks Iraq to lift flight restrictions, and Trump threatens a strong strike if Tehran’s involvement in an attack on a Flydubai plane is proven.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said, in a statement on Thursday, that Tehran asked Iraq to take steps to lift restrictions imposed on flights due to US sanctions, and return air traffic to normal.

The request came after the suspension of flights between the two countries, in light of US sanctions restricting the provision of services to Iranian airlines.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Iran with a “very strong strike” if its involvement in the attack on the pilot of a Flydubai plane was confirmed mid-flight, adding that he believed this hypothesis was likely.

In response to a question posed by a journalist about whether the United States would respond if Tehran was proven responsible, Trump said that the Iranians “will take a very strong blow.”

During a chat with reporters at the White House, Trump said that he believes Iran is involved, without announcing a decisive position.

He added: “I say the answer is yes, based on what I hear, but we are working on this matter at this very moment.”

In an interview with Time magazine published Thursday, Trump spoke of a “possible” intensification of attacks against Iran after the midterm elections scheduled for early November.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon will send an aircraft carrier and other ships to the region, as part of reinforcements numbering between nine thousand and ten thousand military personnel expected to arrive by the end of November.

Currently, the United States has two aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East, and it is not clear whether the number will increase to three, or will remain as it is with the replacement of one of the two ships.

On Thursday, the United States announced new sanctions targeting major automakers in Iran, in addition to prominent companies in the fields of railways, manufacturing and metals, as part of its effort to intensify pressure on Tehran in its war with it.

A US Treasury Department statement said: “Given that the railway and automobile sectors represent some of the largest remaining sources of revenue for the regime and its logistical capabilities, today’s action directly strikes the vital arteries that Iran relies on to maintain its economy and circumvent sanctions.”

The new sanctions target the two largest car manufacturing companies in Iran, Iran Khodro (IKCO) and SAIPA, which supply their products to the local market and also export to regional trading partners.

The new sanctions included a total of seven automobile manufacturing companies, and are part of its efforts to deprive the Iranian government of revenue sources. The sanctions also affected “Nero Motor,” which is the largest motorcycle manufacturing company in Iran.

The decision issued Thursday also targeted entities in other countries that are partners to the Iranian auto sector, including the Indonesian “Golden Motorcycle” company and auto spare parts companies.

The new sanctions also affected major companies in the Iranian railway sector, including the state-owned “Islamic Republic of Iran Railway Company”, the “Raja” passenger train company, and the private shipping company “Rahahan Loading and Transporting”.

Among the parties concerned with the sanctions announced Thursday are major companies in the field of steel manufacturing and other industries in Iran, including the Heavy Equipment Production Company (HEPCO), which the US Treasury Department described as “one of the largest manufacturers of mining equipment and construction methods in the Middle East.”

Washington also imposed sanctions on the HEPCO branch in Shanghai.

The new sanctions list also included companies in the UAE and Germany accused of helping Iranian steel companies.

The new measures recently targeted what was described as a complex steel and oil export network run by two Iranian and Dominican citizens residing in Hong Kong.